1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a portable electronic apparatus such as a portable information terminal.
2. Description of the Related Art
A conventional portable information terminal has a main body of the size held by one hand. The main body contains a printer and a paper holder provided in proximity to the printer to hold a roll of recording paper. The main body can be operated by the other hand while the main body is held by one hand.
In such a conventional portable information terminal, a paper is fed from a roll of recording paper held in the paper holder to a clearance between the printing head and a platen of the printer by a pair of paper feed rollers. The printing head prints information on the recording paper fed thereto, and the printed recording paper is discharged to the outside of the main body.
A frame to divide the paper holder from the printer is rotatably fixed to the paper holder. When a roll of recording paper is loaded in the paper holder, the frame is rotated and separated from the printer to open the paper holder to the printer. After the recording paper is loaded, the frame is returned to the original position between the printer and the paper holder, and the part of the frame facing to the printing head of the printer serves as a platen.
The following roller of the paired paper feed rollers is attached to the frame. The driving roller of the paired paper feed rollers is attached to a main body case of the main body. The following roller is pressed to the driving roller attached to the main body case with the recording paper being interposed therebetween, when the frame is placed between the printer and the paper holder and the platen of the frame is opposed to the printing head of the printer. The following roller is rotated together with the driving roller, and the recording paper is fed to the clearance between the printing head of the printer and the platen of the frame.
In such a conventional portable information terminal, in order to facilitate the use of the recording paper, it is preferable that a start position mark to find a start position of the recording paper and a residual amount indicating mark to indicate a residual amount of the recording paper are mounted on the back surface of the recording paper (the surface not facing to the printing head) and a sensor to detect these marks on the back surface of the recording paper is provided in the main body.
However, in the above-mentioned conventional portable terminal, the sensor is provided in the area of the main body located in the backside of the recording paper to escape from the moving trace of the frame having the platen and the following roller when the frame is opened and closed. This increases the size of the main body.
Besides, the conventional portable information terminal as described above has a water-drop proof cover which covers only a paper discharge port and the part neighboring thereto on the upper surface of the main body. The printed recording paper discharged from the paper discharge port is sent to the distal end portion of the upper surface of the main body. If the printed recording paper is long, the printed recording paper hangs down from the distal end portion of the upper surface of the main body, and the hang-down portion of the printed recording paper is exposed to the outside of the water-drop proof cover. Thus, when the conventional portable information terminal is used outdoors in a rainy day, the portion of the printed recording paper exposed to the outside of the water-drop proof cover is wetted by rainwater.